Parkes observations for project P885 semester 2015APRS

We propose to monitor for one year 1E 1547.0-5408 and PSR J1622-4950,
two of the three magnetars known to currently emit radio waves.
Both were discovered at Parkes and their radio pulsations can only
be studied there. As magnetars (of which only 23 are confirmed in
the Galaxy), the aim is to develop a more reliable understanding
of the dynamical behaviour of their magnetospheres and ultra-strong
magnetic fields, which are responsible for X-ray and gamma-ray
outbursts, magnetospheric currents and particle acceleration, and
heating of the neutron star surface. We do this by tracking their
unsteady rotation in detail (the variable rotation period derivative
provides a measure of the changing torque) and also by comparing
to the X-ray flux when available (currently via the Swift satellite
for 1E 1547.0-5408). As radio magnetars (only four have been
identified, and the first one no longer emits radio waves), our aim
is to understand the conditions under which radio emission takes
place (both for each particular object, and in the larger context
of the known population of magnetars, most of which aren't known
to emit in the radio), and to characterize the variable radio
emission in order to place constraints on the emission mechanisms,
which at least in part differ from those of ordinary pulsars. We
do this by measuring their varying radio flux density and (full-Stokes)
pulse profiles, and by comparing the radio characteristics to their
torque and X-ray behaviour.